Becoming Mamas Posts

In my work as a Breastfeeding Counselor with Breastfeeding USA, I encounter quite a few questions about breastmilk donation. If you happen to be a full- or part-time pumper who is able to express more breastmilk than your baby needs, breastmilk donation is an option worth considering. Read on to learn…

I’ve recently returned to work full time which means lots of time pumping for Declan! And obviously pumping is on my mind as it was the subject of my last post as well (check out my tips!). Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, my insurance covered the cost of a…

For the first time in my mothering life, I’m heading back to work full time – and that means pumping. Declan is 2.5 months old and while I’m excited to return to work I enjoy, I’m also sad that we have to be apart (I will save my rant about…

I’m officially a mama to three! Baby Declan joined us on June 4, weighing in at 9 lbs 12 oz and measuring 22 inches long. Here’s our birth story! Given that my last baby (Eleanor) was 10 days “late,” I had mentally been preparing for a repeat this pregnancy. By…

Let me let you in on an important secret that society doesn’t seem to want us to know about sleep. Babies wake up. Sometimes a lot. Older babies wake up too. So do toddlers. Even school aged kids wake up. And you know what? Adults often wake in the night…

Woven wraps are definitely far more high profile and more readily available in greater variety than they were even five years ago when I started babywearing. The question “how do I choose my first woven wrap?” pops up frequently. And with good reason! With so many brands, so many…

The subject of birth plans comes up quite often for pregnant women. Do I or don’t I? The idea of a birth plan is becoming increasingly “mainstream” and more women and their partners are starting to think about birth preferences. Even so, I am always surprised when the question “What…

Jennifer Block’s Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care is one of those books that’s been on my “to read” list for ages. I finally had a chance to give it a read over the holiday break and wanted to briefly share my thoughts. As I’m a…

Since it’s Black Friday/Local Saturday/Cyber Monday season, it’s hard to avoid thoughts of shopping. I admit…I like to shop…too much probably. Like most Americans, I have a bit of a consumerism problem (I could bore you at this point with my long academic ramblings on the subject…but I’ll spare you!).…

Welcome to Part II of my meh dai/onbuhimo tutorial!! Now that you’ve gotten all your pieces assembled from Part I (which you should read first if you haven’t already)…time to sew!! I’m going to describe the order in which I put things together. Remember, there are some different ways to…